Like A Tree

Psalm 92

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
How great are your works, O LORD!
Your thoughts are very deep!

The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:
that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
For behold, your enemies, O LORD,
for behold, your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.

But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me[a] fresh oil.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.



This is a Psalm for the Sabbath that the Levites sang weekly. I love that the first couple verses are ones of thankfulness. It is so important to first come to the Lord with thankfulness, and make the focus on Him. Sometimes we come with so many requests and petitions which is fine, but we should first start off by thanking the Lord. The right thing to give the Lord is thanks. The best thing to give the Lord is thanks. I also love the verse 2 where he says to "wake up declaring God's loving kindness, and His faithfulness at night". When we wake up our first thoughts can dictate the rest of the day. That is why it is good to wake up and thank the Lord for His loving kindness and then at night thank Him for His faithfulness throughout the day. Try it!

Cedar Tree. Tree's live for centuries. Think about a big redwood tree, think of its life span, think of how long it takes to being fully grown and deeply rooted. That is how our Christian walk is. We can either be like the wicked; grass. Or we can be like the righteous; tree. Grass grows quickly, it sprouts right up. But how long does grass last? How long does it stay alive? What happens to it when it is really cold or really hot outside?

It withers, it fades, it is destroyed.

Cedar and Palm trees are Evergreen trees. Evergreen trees have leaves that never fade, they have long life spans, and most importantly they thrive under adverse conditions. Cedar and Palm trees were found in the middle of deserts by an oasis. A place of life in death and dryness. Cedar trees also last longer because the depth of their roots.

We need to flourish like this Cedar tree. We need to be patient in our spiritual growth. We must deeply root ourselves in God's love (Ephesians 3:17) so that when adverse conditions come, we can stand and endure through them. We also need to be that outlet of life in a dead desert. We need to be that hope of water in the dryness of this world. There are no short cuts in spiritual growth. We must continually be in God's presence and in fellowship with believers (2 Chronicles 16:11).

Cedar wood is also very fragrant, continually fragrant...even after many years of being cut down (2 Corinthians 2:14-17). When we stay flourishing in His courts, God receives glory.

Everything is to declare the glory of God and that He is upright and that He is good and that He cannot lie, that He keeps His Word and that His Word endures forever. Let us thank Him for His faithfulness and loving kindness.